What color rug goes with dark wood floors?

hackrea / April 29, 2021

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Dark wood flooring is a trendy and successful design technique that creates a modern and stylish atmosphere. However, everything does not always work out perfectly: excessively dark shades visually compress the space, small rooms risk appearing cramped and uncomfortable, and you have to clean it more often because every speck of dust is noticeable on dark wood.

However, do not give up the idea of decorating the floor with dark hardwood flooring if this idea has long been very tempting to you. In fact, all the disadvantages mentioned above are relatively easy to correct with a rug. The suitable textiles will help you find the perfect balance between flooring and furnishings and will be the finishing touch without which a stylish interior would seem incomplete. That is why it makes sense to thoroughly delve into the peculiarities of choosing a rug for a dark wood surface.

Dark wood floor: popular colors

Most often, floors are made of hardwood – popular varieties of oak, mahogany, maple. Various processing techniques and the use of tinting and coloring compositions and varnishes allow you to give the floor covering a wide variety of shades. Among the most popular are:

Black. Blackwood floors are often used in modern and classic bedroom interiors and quite often in an art deco design. Such floorings bring a pleasant variety to the white decor, and you can perfectly combine them with both brown and beige, as well as colored walls. Simultaneously, designers rarely choose pure black; they often prefer its ambiguous shades – wenge, peat, resin, licorice, and anthracite.
Dark gray. Dark gray tones are quite deep and neutral, and therefore wood floors in such shades are especially welcome in nautical, loft, and country styles.
Dark brown. Rich and deep shades of brown are especially in demand in classic interiors, as well as living rooms in chalet and country style.
Dark blue. Not very popular, but an exciting solution for modern interiors, which allows you to set off the light tones of furniture and walls favorably.
Dark green. The choice of creative natures and, it should be said, not too frequent. However, when combined with light furnishings in natural tones, smooth painted walls, and wood elements, you get a stunning eco-friendly interior.

Rug for a dark floor: selection rules

The variety of carpets and rugs is breathtaking today. Large and luxurious, soft and charming, colorful and monochromatic, with lush oriental patterns and trendy geometric patterns, factory-made and handmade – if you set out to find a suitable rug for a dark floor in your living room or bedroom, then you can be sure that somewhere there is definitely an accessory that fits your idea perfectly. To not spend too much time looking for the rug of your dreams, we suggest narrowing your search and taking advantage of designers’ advice, which will help you decide much faster.

A light rug on the dark floor – one hundred percent hit

If you don’t know what kind of carpet to choose for a dark base, take a light one – and you won’t be mistaken. Indeed, in contrast to the wooden texture and dark gray, black and brown, such accessories work the most natural miracles: the light rugs provide competent zoning, allow you to demonstrate your excellent taste, and in combination with light furniture, you get a balanced palette. If you want the perfect match, you can match your rug to the tone of your armchairs, sofa, or headboard – or experiment with floor textiles a little lighter or darker.

Don’t be afraid of bright colors

Do not think that the choice of rug color for a dark wood floor is limited only to white, beige, and light gray tones. If the orientation of the interior allows, then why not use textiles like a bright splash? Rich and expressive shades add personality and help draw attention to a specific area in the living room. In this case, it is essential to decide on the size: the smaller the room’s area, the more modest in size the accessory you choose should be.

You can also try to find a patterned rug that combines light tones that match the furniture with bright tones. Such a solution is very creative and requires a certain amount of time to search. However, it is worth it because to bring the entire interior palette to a common denominator in such a simple and elegant way means to show a sense of style to an excellent degree.

Dark on dark? It’s worth the risk!

We have already said that a light carpet is the best solution for a dark floor. However, this statement should not be taken as an axiom, and if you would still prefer dark rugs, you can easily afford such a decision. For this, it is enough to take into account just a few rules:

Light elements and surfaces are required. When opting for dark flooring and dark carpet, you need to compensate for this with light walls and furniture. This way, you will avoid a depressing and “heavy” atmosphere in the room and get a very stylish interior.
Experiment with textures. A dark carpet with an expressive texture will make the interior much more interesting, even without adding contrasts or color spots. Today, manufacturers offer several types of textiles, which we will talk about a little later.
Combine colors. A patterned or ornamented rug that uses several dark tones looks beautiful and adds harmony. If one of its shades matches the color of the flooring, it will provide such a necessary balance.

Take your time to select textures

We have already said that the carpet’s texture allows you to make the interior more refined, individual, and harmonious, regardless of the color scheme you choose. Today you can give preference to the following types of accessories:

Woven. Such products are created by interweaving weft and longitudinal threads, while such carpets have no pile. Handmade woven accessories are quite expensive, but current technology allows you to create models with the same texture and at more affordable prices. Lint-free carpets are trendy in modern interiors, where brevity and restraint are welcomed.
Wicker. Yarn is woven into such rugs with the help of special knots that go around the warp thread. The yarn is cut every 7-10 cm, leaving the pile of the desired height and finally making out the given pattern. These carpets that the East is famous for, from where the secret of their manufacture spread throughout the world – and it is this type that is used to combine with dark floors in classic interiors.
Knitted. The designers offered machine-knitted rugs made of dense and durable threads not so long ago – and today, these carpets decorate interiors in the style of Scandinavian, chalet, and even French country. The volumetric pattern gives them an unusually cozy look, and the warm knitted texture can visually warm the dark wood floor.
Soft. Fluffy monochrome rugs have long been a symbol of modern comfort. A high and soft pile without any pattern on a dark wooden floor is sophisticated, stylish, and as relevant as ever.
Felted. Felted lambswool rugs are not very practical – but the carpets look stunning due to their unusual volumetric textures and various color combinations. If you’re looking for creativity, a rug like this will bring delightful variety to your dark wood flooring – or you can even make one yourself if you want.

If you doubt when choosing a rug for a dark floor, you can easily take it home and visually evaluate the compatibility. As a rule, sellers are willing to meet such requests, and today you can “try on” not only a small rug but also a large rug.

Dark wood floor: choose a carpet by style

Dark wood floors are not typical for all interior styles. Still, suppose the design of your living room, bedroom, or dining room allows the installation of such flooring. In that case, it is quite logical that you need to focus not only on the shade of wood flooring and the color scheme of furniture, but also on design. Let’s figure out how to choose a carpet for such a floor, depending on the room’s design.

Classic style

Traditional classics very rarely do without carpets – and the color of the flooring does not really matter. Dark floors in classic designs are usually made of bog oak or wenge hardwood flooring.

The most popular solution for such interiors are rugs with high or medium dense piles in a rectangle, square or oval shape. Also, you can distinguish them by a rich palette and famous oriental ornaments that look rich on dark wood surfaces. So, the most renowned carpet patterns designs are:

centered design using plant elements;
a floral pattern that repeats evenly over the entire surface of the canvas;
a pattern divided into squares, typical for Iranian handmade carpets;
a drawing with an ornament radiating from the middle.

Neoclassical

The dark wood flooring enhances the elegance of the neoclassical interior. A rug with a beautiful geometric pattern formed by straight and zigzag lines, waves or spirals, or plain fluffy carpets can be a good addition. With the choice of shades, everything is effortless – pay attention to the following:

beige;
white;
light brown;
gray;
dusty blue and blue.

Modern

A dark floor in a modern style is usually hardwood, engineered wood, as well as laminate and vinyl flooring. Depending on your mood and design project, you can choose the following types of rugs:

plain and fluffy;
lint-free with stains of various tones of the same color;
light with precise geometric patterns;
small woven fabrics with a contrasting abstract pattern on a light background.

As for the rug color, in a modern interior, you have at your disposal almost the entire palette – from snow-white and beige to mustard yellow, emerald, and scarlet.

Rustic

A rustic floor is a rough, dark wood plank, often with a brushed effect. A small patchwork rug, a natural-tinted jute accessory, or an imitation animal hide will accentuate the naturalness and ease of your living room.

Industrial

A style for which a dark floor is one of the characteristic features. Hardwood or engineered wood painted with black lacquer – such floorings allow you to achieve the desired industrial atmosphere. And the best warming accent for such a living room will be a low-pile rug without a pattern with a worn effect, an accessory with a floral ornament from the past, or an accent rug with an imitation – animal skin, woodcut, or stone texture.

Ethnic

Ethnic styles suggest flooring made from aged wood that has darkened with time. Wicker rugs and mats made of natural materials – jute, sisal, or bamboo – will be an excellent addition for them.

Carpet for dark wood floors: Conclusions + Photo Gallery

Dark wood floors are a combination of austerity, nobility, and a pleasant natural texture. A correctly matched rug to the floor will not only help create a warm and cozy atmosphere but will also make the interior balanced both in terms of color and texture.